The normally talkative member for Shellharbour Anna Watson has declined to comment on the decision to by-pass a rank-and-file preselection for the safe Labor seat.

The Opposition Leader John Robertson has announced that the preselections for the state seats of Lakemba, Shellharbour and Gosford will be referred to the National Executive.

The ABC has been told the decision to abandon rank and file pre-selection in Shellharbour has been done to protect the sitting member Anna Watson.

Ms Watson was preselected for the seat in 2010 to replace the sitting member Lylea McMahon who was parachuted into the seat in 2007.

Ms Watson has issued a statement saying she will nominate as a candidate in the ballot process to be conducted by a ballot of the National Executive, and won't comment until the ballot is finalised.

Meanwhile, the New South Wales Nationals leader has stood by a decision to parachute 2010 Throsby candidate Gary 'Angry' Anderson into a Hunter Valley seat, saying some born and bred local members are hopeless.

The former frontman of the rock band Rose Tattoo has been pre-selected as the party's candidate for Cessnock, in the state election in March.

A Cessnock councillor has since quit the Liberal Party, citing Mr Anderson's selection as one of the triggers for her decision.

Nationals leader Andrew Stoner says he doesn't believe there's a correlation between growing up in an electorate and being a good member.

"I've seen some very local people who have been born and bred in a community - and they get elected - and they're hopeless local representatives," he said.

"Equally I've seen people who are passionate about the democratic process who make a move so they can represent a community that they feel a connection and a bond with go on to become outstanding local representatives."